Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has said Socialist Party leader Ivica Dačić could be a strong candidate for the presidency, but stressed that the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will decide on its own candidate only after the next parliamentary elections.
Responding to questions about proposals within the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) for Dačić to run for president, Vučić said he had no objection to the idea and suggested that Dačić would be a serious contender.
“I have nothing against it. Snow does not fall to cover the hill, but so that every beast leaves its trace,” Vučić said, using a Serbian proverb to suggest that political intentions would become clearer over time.
He added that the SNS would discuss its presidential candidate after the parliamentary elections.
“Who our presidential candidate will be, we will talk about after the parliamentary elections,” Vučić said during a visit to Serbia’s Toplica District.
Vučić also recalled previous speculation that he was preparing constitutional changes, saying he had repeatedly insisted that Serbia’s Constitution was “sacred.”
“You asked for early elections, you will get them. Who will win, we will see,” he said, adding that his focus remained on infrastructure and public projects, including railways, sports halls, hospitals, health centers and clinical centers.
Commenting on the expected political contest, Vučić said voters could face a race between what he described as “all of them,” including the student movement and other opposition forces as well as the SPS, and the “United Serbia” list backed by his political camp.
He said the SNS would have enough time after the parliamentary elections to present its candidate for the presidential race.
Dačić previously announced that the SPS would contest the parliamentary elections independently, although he said the party would continue its traditional electoral partnership with United Serbia and the Greens of Serbia.
The prospect of Dačić entering the presidential race comes as Serbia’s governing coalition faces a potentially significant electoral test, with the SPS seeking to strengthen its independent political position ahead of the next parliamentary contest.
